The face symbolizing the shared misery of the Lakers and Boston Celtics materialized in the most unlikely of forms Friday night.

And did so reluctantly.

MarShon Brooks is just a kid looking for a legitimate shot in the NBA, not the epitome of the horrific falls the NBA’s two most storied franchises have taken this year.

But in a weird sort of way, Brooks is every bit representative of the Lakers’ and Celtics’ troubles, having started the season with Boston only to finish it — presumably — in Los Angeles after getting traded to the Lakers on Thursday by the Golden State Warriors.

You don’t normally feel sorry for a guy who gets to drape on the Kelly Green of the Celtics and the Purple and Gold of the Lakers in the same season. but we all know these aren’t normal times for two franchises that have won a combined 33 NBA championships.

Which is why Brooks deserves at least a little bit of sympathy.

The Lakers and Celtics were a combined 37-72 before taking the floor against each other Friday at Staples Center, about the only thing left to play for increasing the odds of landing the top pick in next summer’s draft.

And that edge went to the loser, not the winner.

Brooks, the poor soul, now has the dubious honor of being the common thread between two celebrated franchises stumbling about on the outer edges of a league they once dominated.

Talk about poor timing.

At least with the Warriors, he was headed to the playoffs.

With the Lakers, he’s right back on the fast track to last place.

“Initially I was like like ‘Wow, again?’ ” Brooks said about learning he’d been traded. “I mean, I was just learning the Golden State offense.”

It’s actually worse when you consider the Lakers are his fourth team in less than a year after moving from Brooklyn to Boston to Golden State to Los Angeles since last summer. It’s a weird journey for a guy who averaged 13 points a game in his rookie season with the New Jersey Nets in 2001-12 and who everybody he’s ever played for readily admitted can produce points in the NBA.

Not that it helped him much. Everywhere he goes he keeps getting parked on the bench rather than playing.

And then, ultimately, shipped out of town.

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“I’ve been getting to meet a lot of new guys,” Brooks deadpanned Friday before suiting up for the Lakers for the first time.

That’s one way of looking at it.

Another is Brooks was buried on the bench of a terrible Celtics team during his short stay in Boston, only to get kicked to the curb when he was moved to Golden State.

It’s one thing sitting on the bench on a good team, but it’s another thing entirely to do it for one of the worst clubs in the NBA.

Brooks went to Boston fully expecting a chance to get significant minutes on a young, rebuilding team. Only to sit. And sit. And sit.

And stew.

“It was a humbling experience, not getting the opportunity on a team that was struggling,” Brooks conceded. “That was humbling.”

And it taught him to never assume, a lesson driven home by the Warriors when they also used him sparingly upon trading for him.

So, while he expects to finally get a fair shake with the Lakers, he isn’t exactly counting on it either.

“I hope so,” he said. “But I don’t want to trick myself again. I kind of felt that in a couple of spots.”

Only to get buried on the bench.

That doesn’t appear to be his fate with the Lakers, if only because they are so banged up they might have no choice but to play him.

And given coach Mike D’Antoni’s player-friendly system, who knows? Maybe Brooks will find the happy landing he’s been seeking for more than three years.

At the very least, maybe he’ll get an opportunity to show he belongs.

“I feel like almost every guy in this league can play,” Brooks said. “It’s just getting the proper amount of minutes to produce.”

Maybe he’ll get that chance with the Lakers. But he isn’t exactly counting on it.

Although he was itching to play against the Celtics.

“Not necessarily because I was a Lakers fan,” Brooks said. “I know those guys. I never really got an opportunity to play there. So I’d like to not necessarily show them up, but show them what I got.”

Brooks, keying a fourth-quarter surge, scored 14 points against his former mates and the Lakers won 101-92.